Wednesday, June 20, 2018

Acceptance and the Unacceptable



Photo by GDJ on pixabay

As we slowly move towards acceptance in this country we are faced with something that is so unacceptable as to bring us to the brink of deep frustration, anger and even hatred.

I scroll through my Facebook newsfeed and find myself roiling in an emotional storm. I oscillate between tears of anger and tears of sadness. I tumble in befuddlement. I’m drawn into drama, following words that are blows.

Then I step back. I watch the fight and see beyond it. We will not, cannot accept one another. Right, left, people of color, people of a certain religious persuasion, background, culture, sexual orientation, gender, when did we become “other” to one another? When did the shade get drawn against our common humanity? When did we forget our common Divinity?

The unacceptable has happened is happening and has been for quite some time. It’s not just children being separated from parents. It’s hateful actions or guns raised in fear and anger upon one another for no other reason than being black, Hispanic or just someone who we fear. Our fear has turned to rage. It is killing us.

But here we are. We can’t accept this and yet we must if we are to reclaim our hearts. The unacceptable is happening. We cannot deny it any longer. Many of us have not denied it, but we may have turned the perpetrators into “other” in order to release some of the pain. But this only turns into blind rage. If we are to see clearly, we must accept not only what is happening but those souls who are engaged in the unacceptable. There are no monsters here. We must not dehumanize others for in that act we dehumanize ourselves.

As we continue on the path of acceptance, and I have faith that we will, our horizons will broaden. We will begin to see the path that can lead us to healing. Courage will replace rage. Love will replace fear. When the dust settles we’ll look around and know the damage we have done because we’ll finally see the broken hearts and know they are ours. Only then will they finally beat as one. Only then will we finally know who we truly are, expressions of the beauty of Life Itself.

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